[5][6][7] In July 27 1581, Tachibana Dōsetsu and Takahashi Shigetane fought against Tsukushi Hirokado and Akizuki Tanezane in the second Battle of Dazaifu Kanzeon-ji.

[8][9] Contemporary Italian jesuit Alessandro Valignano has recorded that Muneshige later being adopted as son by Dōsetsu and inherited the Tachibana clan.

[11] Then, as he secured the adoption, Dōsetsu immediately changed the lordships of Tachibana clan from his daughter, Ginchiyo, to Muneshige.

300 of Muneshige's troops launched a surprise attack from the side with guns, while the remaining 200 soldiers were led by Komono Masutoki, who set up a false flag to make it look like reinforcements from the Otomo clan were coming, and finally managed to lift the siege.

Muneshige then led 1,000 cavalry including Komono Masutoki, Korenobu Yufu, and Shigeyuki Ono, eliminating 300 of the Harada general's troops, Kasa Okinaga, who had built a fort at Iwatosho Kubeno, killing 150 of them, and pursuing them west to Sawara County, where he burned down Harada Chikahide's Sawara Castle.

[27] In 1587, After the Tachibana clan siding with Toyotomi Hideyoshi and he had conquered Kyushu in 1587, Muneshige split from the Ōtomo to become a daimyō in his own right.

[34] Later, Muneshige back to Chikugo and surrendered to Tokugawa after the Siege of Yanagawa under the assumption that he could then switch sides and aid the Tokugawa-loyal forces against the Shimazu clan of Satsuma.

[1] in 1603, Muneshige went down to Edo, and with the help of Honda Tadakatsu, began living in seclusion at the Hosshō-ji Temple in Takada with his attendants, including Korenobu Yufu and Totoki Tsunetada.

Soon after, he was selected as one of the attendant of his eldest son, Tokugawa Hidetada, and in 1606, he was given 10,000 koku in Mutsu Tanagura (Nango) and returned to his position as a daimyo.